Hotels.com and Jet2holidays are featured in the top 10 of companies ranked by their customer satisfaction scores, according to the Institute of Customer Service (ICS).
The hotel booking website was fourth-equal, with a UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) score of 84.7, while the package holiday firm was seventh-equal, on 84.5.
First direct bank (86.7) ranked top of the league table of more than 280 major brands and organisations across 13 sectors.
Overall, the July 2023 UKCSI is 76.6 (out of 100), a drop of 1.8 points compared to July 2022 and the lowest score for eight years.
The UKCSI score is based on how customers rate organisations, with 25 metrics rating experience, complaint handling, customer ethos, emotional connection and ethics.
Joanna Causon (pictured), ICS chief executive, said: “The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index results present a sobering, if perhaps unsurprising picture. Average customer satisfaction in the UK has fallen compared to last year and is at its lowest level since 2015.
“While the overall index has declined by 1.8 points, several findings give cause for concern.
“Every sector has lower customer satisfaction than a year ago, with the biggest downturn in Utilities and Transport.
“More than half of the 275 organisations that appear in the UKCSI have received a lower customer satisfaction rating than they did a year ago.
“The adverse impact of a poor customer experience appears to have got worse, with customers more likely to experience a negative reaction when they report a problem and wait longer for their problem to be resolved.”
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are delighted to be recognised as the best airline and tour operator for customer satisfaction once again.
“The UKCSI is a benchmark of how customers feel about different companies they use and the customer service they are providing, and the findings of this survey show that our customer-first approach is working.
“This summer is our busiest summer yet, however once again we are continuing to operate our programme without making cancellations, meaning customers can look forward to their well-deserved holidays, just as they should be.”
Looking at the table of 13 sectors, tourism is in second place but has fallen from 80.7 in July 2022 to 80.4 this year, while transport is in 11th place, having dropped from 75.8 in July 2022 to 71.9 this July.
The transport sector has an average UKCSI score of 71.9, down by 3.9 points compared to July 2022. Average satisfaction with airlines is 73.7, a drop of 4.6 points compared to a year ago.
Just 15 organisations (5% of those receiving a UKCSI score) have improved by at least two points compared to July 2022 – seven of these are from the tourism sector.
Travel and tourism companies in the top 50:
4= Hotels.com (84.7)
7= Jet2holidays (84.5)
12 Hoseasons (83.8)
18 Booking.com (83)
21 Premier Inn (82.5)
22= Jet2 (82.3)
27 Expedia (82)
30 Holiday Inn (81.9)
34 Hilton (81.7)
40 P&O Cruises (81.4)
43 Trivago (81.2)
Ten tourism organisations feature in the UKCSI top 50, compared to just six a year ago. The ICS said Jet2holidays.com continues to be one of the UK’s highest rated organisations for customer satisfaction, while Hotels.com, Hoseasons and Expedia have received their highest ever UKCSI scores.
Hoseasons is the most improved, bumping up its score from 76.4 to 83.8 over the past year. Haven Holidays was the fifth most improved, increasing from 76.1 to 79.4.
The report was compiled with 52,000 responses from more than 10,000 customers, with an average of 3,500 responses per sector.
Recommendations from the ICS include: preventing problems and improving complaint handling; making it easier for customers to access help and expertise; responding to customers’ personal situations and needs; professionalising customer service; and doing the right thing in business practice: balancing the needs of shareholder, customer, employee and wider society.